Honda VF500C Magna V30 Reviews - Page 3 of 3

1985 Honda VF500C Magna V30 from Canada

Faults:

Breaks seem a little soft to handle the speed this bike is capable of.

General Comments:

Great, reliable, maneuverable, quick bike that, in my mind, meets all of the check marks, except for long distance cruising, as it would be less comfortable than a bigger bike. A really enjoyable and gutsy bike.

1985 Honda VF500C Magna V30 from United States of America

Summary:

A solid standard motorcycle that is great for enjoying motorcycling and riding in town and country

Faults:

Tail light warning indicator will intermittently flash. The problem is the ignition box (after 23 years) has gotten loose and you have to jiggle the key to make sure the warning indicator goes out. The tail and brake light work fine though.

The center stand can come up and dent the left muffler - I've seen this on multiple VF500Cs (Magna V30s) - I don't know exactly how it happens, but you're left with a dent in the muffler.

General Comments:

This motorcycle is 23 years old and still starts without any hesitation. Regular fluid changes and this bike soldiers on with out any thought to the years and miles. Other V30 owners have told me this V4 engine really comes into its own after 30,000 miles, so I'm just getting to the good part I guess.

The bike was only imported into the USA for two years, so finding them or information on them can be difficult. Buy a Clymer manual for maintenance and you will be able to fix any issue that arises though.

I know the larger V4 engines from Honda during this time had notorious oil starvation issues with how the engine was designed to get oil up to the cam lobes, but the VF500C does not have this problem IMO - I've never met a VF500C owner who reported it, even owners who've rolled over 100k miles.

This is a great bike for first time owners IMO due to the relatively light weight and good power this bike has. It weighs just over 400 pounds and had 66 horsepower, plus it gets about 40-45 mpg. It's great for riding in the city, to the store, as well as getting out for a country cruise. It's easy to maneuver in tight spaces, but it has the power to keep up and pass traffic on the highway.

4th Mar 2010, 01:00

If the acceleration mark was only a 5 out of 10, I would think a tune-up would be in order. There aren't many bikes that have a 3.9 second time in the 0 to 60 mph testing. Also a 12.9 second time in the 1/4 mile is pretty good for a 500cc V4 engine to say the least.